Douglas K. DeRhodes, MSW, LCSW has spent the great majority of his life as a resident of the Chicagoland Metro Area.  Growing up in nearby Glen Ellyn, he began his professional studies as an undergraduate at the University of Kansas where he would obtain his Bachelors of Arts in Psychology.  During his undergraduate career Douglas was a two year research assistant and analyst on a study of the development and utilization of a new therapy modality called Hope Therapy.  After witnessing first hand  the transformation that is possible when  a structured and evidenced based therapeutic intervention is applied in a warm and collaborative environment, his commitment to becoming a therapist was greatly intensified.  After completing his undergraduate career,   Douglas was involved in a joint research project studying the strengths based approach of treatment between the University of Kansas and Dartmouth College where a new conceptualization of how to help individuals fulfill their potential was solidified.    In order to continue his education, Douglas returned to Chicago to study at the Jane Addams School of Social Work at the University of Illinois at Chicago.   At UIC  Douglas had an internship with the Social Services Department at  the Circuit Courts of Cook County.  He also interned at the Cook County Employee Assistance Program.   Simultaneously Douglas was employed to be a provider of respite services for child and adolescent clients who were identified as having a high risk of home removal for placement in a residential facility due to the severity of their symptoms.   Subsequent to graduation Douglas began his career as  a community based therapist whose primary responsibility was to respond to a child, adolescent, or young adult  mental health crisis throughout Chicago and the North Shore.  In addition to resolving the immediate crisis, he was tasked with providing ongoing intensive therapeutic services  to minimize the likelihood of the client  re-entering crisis.    Currently Douglas remains active within the crisis arena of the mental health community as a clinical supervisor for the crisis program at a Chicago based community mental health center.  This agency has continuously been recognized as having the highest volume of clients and mental health crisis service provision in the state.   Douglas has also been employed as a director of an intake department and psychiatric crisis department at Chicago's first chartered teaching hospital.  Douglas has  provided individual, couples, marital, and family therapy in Western Springs since 2013.  He is a firm believer that mental health and wellbeing is as crucial to overall health as is ones physical health.  Douglas finds great honor and privilege​ in joining others on their journey to optimum health.  He looks forward to the opportunity to provide a customized and tailored treatment approach that is dually warm and collaborative as well as evidence based and research backed to be likely to achieve the desired treatment outcome in an expedited manner.